Vicious Cycle
by Silver Painted Destiny
Summary: Her relationship with Noctis reminds her of a vicious cycle, they pull various weapons on each other, but they can't go through with it. Stella/Noctis


**Vicious Cycle  
><strong>**Author: Note: IN-Game-ish if you choose it to be, but no concrete spoilers, except the fact they can summon runes.  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Versus XIII<strong>

Her relationship with Noctis Caelum or the lack of one, reminds her of a vicious but endless cycle.

Weapons are drawn whenever they see each other on the battlefield, and yet in their various battles, one of the always manages to survive.

Either because they somehow manage to runaway, or because the victor isn't ready to go through with it, isn't ready to take the looser life. She has a feeling it has mostly do with the latter, sure she has runaway once or twice, she would admit that much.

Most of the time when Noctis is distracted by something else, mostly from one of his friends calling his name, and yet some would probably say that is the perfect opportunity to kill him.

He would have been distracted long enough, to pierce his body with her rapier, and yet it would have gone against her morals.

She prefers to fight clean and fair, one on one. She supposes Noctis either understands her feelings or is the same way, because regardless of the fact he has three friends who is pretty good in battle, he always tells them to stay out of their battle or in some cases ditches them completely.

But regardless of her opportunities to kill him, she couldn't deny the fact she still has feelings for him. Feelings of her lingering love for him, memories of their brief but romantic relationship.

Perhaps if wasn't for the war between their nations, the two of them will still be together, but she supposes it pointless to muse on what ifs, especially when the past is unchangeable. Truthfully, she isn't entirely sure if Noctis feels the same as her.

Sure, he has let her live countless of times, walking away from her while she is on the ground usually holding her bleeding arm, but in return she has allowed him to live as well, when she is the victor.

Words between them were usually brief, but they weren't hateful as one may expect between two lovers, who were torn apart by war, and betrayal mostly on her countries part.

Even though she took no part in the betrayal, and the betrayal by her father and Tenebrean council came as a surprise even for her, it didn't matter. Noctis believed she was using him to gain his trust, and perhaps anyone in his position would think the same thing, but she can't deny the fact it still hurts to think he know her well enough to know she wasn't part of the attack nor did she know about the attack. But even if he did believe her, it wouldn't have change the fact she was still his enemy and he was still hers.

Most of the time when they do talk to each other during their battle, it is mostly in regards of him or her asking for more time, as they walk away from the loser in the battle. She supposes the interruption of those words, they need more time to sort out the lingering feelings they have for each other. So they could finally finish their job in killing each other, instead of continuing this endless and vicious cycle.

Instead it is usually about duty, duty to their countries, duty to their positions as rulers of their respective kingdoms, but it was never about love.

She drowns the rest of her alcoholic beverage in one swing, and rest the shot glass on the wooden surface of the bar.

"Another," she mummers to the bartender and for a minute she could have sworn she saw a bit of pity in the bartender eyes, but none of the less he decided to pour a drink for her.

"Did somebody break your heart," he questions resting the bottle in front of him, but she could hear the genuine curiosity in the man's voice.

"Something like that," she half agrees. She didn't want to get into the details of her complicated relationship with the prince their country was currently at war with, but at the same time she couldn't deny the fact there was some truth to the bartender words.

"So who was it," he questions, watching the blonde woman lift the shot glass to her lips.

"My first love," she replies seriously. Truthfully despite her semi tipsy state she knows better to reveal the name of her current enemy. Only a few people knew about her relationship with Noctis, his friends, family members and the council members.

"Forgetting your first love is always hard," the bartender utters, nodding his head sympathetically. At least the bartender didn't seem to care she didn't mention a name, nor did he ask for a name.

"Anyway how much do you owe you," she mummers standing up feeling she has had enough to drink, she didn't want to get totally wasted. Hangovers would be a pain the following morning, not to mention she didn't want to be taken advantage of in her drunken state.

"One hundred gil," the bartender replies. She simply drops the amount of gil on the wooden counter and turns to leave the pub. Her eyes widen when she feels someone behind her, the moment she started to walk to the hotel.

"Have you finally come to kill me, Noctis?" she questions turning around to face the dark haired male, he was still dressed in dark colors, but the only alternation to his wardrobe she could see is the fact it seem to be more appropriate for the cold mountain air.

He sighs, "Not today."

She cocks an eyebrow at that piece of information, "Why not."

"I think you know the reason, Stella," he remarks. She frowns lightly; she defiantly knows the reason why. It's the reason why she decided to go to the bar, and have a few drinks mourning her lost love for Noctis.

Today is their anniversary of the day they meet a couple of years ago.

"Why are you here?" she forces out.

"Angus told me the truth," he mentions.

She narrows her eyes at the mention of the Tenebrean general, "About what?"

"That you had nothing to do with the attack, much less known about," he mummers in slight defeat. She has a pretty good feeling that Angus had a fun time rubbing that information in, putting more salt into the open wound. She can't deny the fact a large part of her still feels hurt, he couldn't trust the fact that she has said she didn't know about that attack over and over again, but he could trust a man he barely knows.

"It doesn't change anything between us," she replies glancing into his cerulean blue eyes. "We're still at war, and even if the war should end. I doubt we could go back to the way we were before."

He frowns lightly, mentions of the war and their relationship post-war has never crossed their lips until now. She slowly walks away from his form.

Tomorrow, or next week she may face Noctis to death, but for now they continue the same vicious cycle they started when the war began.

**-fin**


End file.
